Liar!
by Shady-777
Summary: Oh No! A meddling vegeance demon has rendered Angelus unable to tell a lie! What's an evil vampire to do? Set during Rain of Fire eps. Some events may be slightly modified to fit story. Reposted. All reviews welcome.
1. A Curse So Disasterous

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**Had to Repost this due to a new FF.Net rule.**

Heh, I was just watching the Angel one day and " Liar Liar " came on right after it. This got me to thinking…what if Angelus was under a similar deal? The horror! Well, for anyone else who's ever wondered what a truthful Angelus would be like, this fic is my answer! ^^

**_Disclaimer: I do not own " Angel " or " Liar Liar " . The ideas and thoughts borrowed from these are intended purely for entertainment purposes and are not intended to infringe on anyone's rights. Enjoy! _**

Chapter 1

" How'd you do? " Wesley asked when Gunn came up from the basement after another round of ask-and-tell with Angelus.

Gunn's frown said it all. His eyes flared with anger. " He didn't tell me anything important." The words sounded like a hiss, and Wesley knew better than to press any further.

" Yeah, well, wasn't like we didn't already anticipate this." Connor muttered darkly from the corner of the room.

Fred appeared from her office just then, exhausted after long tedious hours of research on The Beast, or as close to references as they could get to him, anyway. " Well, to borrow a phrase, we knew this job was dangerous when we took it." In response to all the blank stares she was getting, she said, " Nevermind."

Cordelia came down the stairs just then dressed in a flashy red outfit. 

Without a word, she trotted over to where Wesley and Gunn were watching Angelus humming in his cage on the screen.

" What's wrong, people? " Angelus was taunting, " Can't take the truth? You'd rather live in your own little lies, wouldn't you? "

Cordelia looked to Gunn. " Well? "

Gunn shook his head. " He didn't tell me anything resembling useful. He was possibly even _more_ sarcastic than he was last time I was down there, if that even possible."

" He thinks he's so funny." Cordelia scoffed, though a part of her had to admit it _was_ somewhat amusing.

Wesley looked thoughtful. " Ever notice that whenever you go down there to interrogate him for information regarding The Beast, he somehow manages to flip it around and steer the conversation towards _you_? Last time I was down there, he insisted on talking about my love-life. I do believe that is in no way relevant to The Beast."

" Maybe he meant metaphorically? " Fred suggested, then shut her mouth at Wesley's glare." Or not."

" He just likes to press our buttons, Wes." Cordelia flicked back a piece of hair from her eye, " He can't hurt us literally, so he's doing it mentally. It's a form of torture. Which he enjoys. Remember? "

Wesley nodded.

Connor left his corner and started across the room to the door. He was feeling pretty desperate, and thus far bringing Angelus back had proved to be a rather futile attempt to learn more about this new threat. 

" I'm going for a walk. Run damage control." He announced as he left the Hyperion.

Permanent night stretched across the entire expanse of L.A. Vampires and demons were partying it up big all over town. There were fires, wrecks, and genuine mayhem everywhere. It reminded him somewhat of Quartoth, the demon dimension he'd been raised in.

The memories were not pleasant. 

He tried not to think about it and focus on the task at hand: helping survivors. But so far everyone he'd run into had been a vamp. He'd taken them out, but there always seemed to be so many more…the chances of finding anyone else alive were slim.

Yet he enjoyed having something physical to take all his pent-in anger and frustration out on.

No sooner had he stopped to rest on a bench just outside the park when a 30-ish year old woman approached him from out of the blue.

He jerked up, prepared to fight if she was a vampire.

The woman held her hands straight out, signaling him to stop.

" Whoa, not a vampire, sweet cheeks. Though I can see where you might get that idea." She glanced around, noting all the destruction to property and some of the dead bodies just left to rot in the streets. " I'd heard this was a rough town, but this is ridiculous."

Connor was not in the mood. He sat back down. 

" You should leave." He told the woman when she sat down next to him.

" Nah. It's okay. Death really doesn't scare me that much. But you…you look like you could use a friend. That's why I'm here right now." She held out her hand. " Call me Hally."

Connor stared at her hand as if it were something not even remotely desirable. Instead of grabbing it, he merely turned away.

" Ok, that was kind of rude." Hally said good-naturedly, " What's your name? "

" Connor." He wasn't really sure why he wasn't just leaving…maybe a part of him really did want a friend after all.

Hally nodded. " So, Connor, I'll bet there's plenty of things you _wish _were different." Her tone was almost cheery, and it sounded very out of place.

" You bet." Connor muttered. A sudden outburst overtook him--he'd been keeping it bottled up for too long, " For one day, even just _one day_, I wish Angelus couldn't tell a lie or hurt anyone! " 

He shouted so loud that several vampires on the street stopped and looked at him.

He sprung up, feeling stupid and knowing that now he was going to have to fight all of them.

Hally's touch caused him to spin back to her direction.

" Done! " She said, only she looked different this time. Something was wrong with her face--it was all veiny and ugly.

" _Done?! _" Conner repeated, " What do you mean? Who _are _you?! " 

Hally smiled. " Go back to the Hyperion. You'll see."

She was gone in a magical flash; leaving Connor to fend off the vampires.

Back at the Hyperion, Cordy, Wesley, Lorne, Fred, and Gunn were just chanting the spell that would restore Angel's soul.

They'd gathered the ingredients earlier, but had refrained from using them up until this point on the fleeting hope that they still might be able to pry something out of Angelus.

But now their patience had been tested to the end, and they'd all agreed it was soul-time.

The gleaming skull of the soul-eater demon was in the center of a circle of candles, and with the last words to the rite it lit up. A frothy white essence erupted from the skull.

On cue, each member held up their various talismans and the misty fog drifted away from them and through the bars of the iron cage towards Angelus. It proceeded to lift the evil vampire off the ground and engulf him.

Seconds later, he fell to the cement and groaned.

" Angel? " Cordy was the first to ask after a few terse seconds had passed.

Angelus stood up and straightened himself. " I'm not Angel. I'm Angelus still. I'm afraid your little spell botched."

Nobody was more startled than Angelus at that moment. 

He blinked. His jaw dropped like he couldn't believe what he'd just said. " Why'd I say that? "

Fred frowned at Angelus. " So it didn't work? Darn! "

" I was so sure it would." Nobody noticed that Cordy sounded a bit more agitated than she should have.

Angelus grinned. No soul for him! " Now that your little plan backfired, what are you going to do? There's n…n…" Angelus could not make the word come out.

The gang stared at him anxiously. " n…"

" you going to get that word out anytime soon, fangboy? " Gunn grumped, not at all impressed with Angelus's little charade.

" Go on, what were you saying? " Wesley pried.

" There's another way to restore my soul." Angelus blurted before he could stop himself.

The eyes of everyone in the entire room widened.

Frustrated, Angelus hit his head against the bars of his prison. " Damn! What is _wrong_ with me? "

" The list is too long." Wesley said, but at the same time he was shocked.

Lorne looked equally confused. " Who are we dealing with here? He says he's not Angel, but he's not exactly acting like Angelus."

Connor rushed down the steps just then. " What's going on? "

" Not sure." Fred answered, " We did a spell to restore his soul, but it seems to have made him crazy."

" I'm _not_ crazy! " Angelus shot.

" Really? " Wesley interjected, " Then what are you? "

Angelus could not stop the words from pouring from his mouth, " I'm an evil vampire, and I'm perfectly sane! "

Wesley just stared, not quite sure what was going on, but finding it rather amusing.

Cordy laughed. " At least you're being honest! "

Angelus wanted to make a sarcastic witty comeback. He really did. But he ened up saying, " I don't _want _to be honest! "

Connor suddenly grinned, realization dawning, " It worked! It actually worked! "

All eyes turned to him.

"_ What _worked? " Wesley pressed. 

Connor's eyes lit up with excitement. It had been awhile since anyone had seen him this happy. " Just a few minutes ago I was out in the park when this strange woman arrived. I told her I wished Angelus couldn't tell a lie even for one day."

" Hmmm," Wesley rubbed at the stubble on his chin, " Sounds like the work of a vengeance demon."

There was a moment of silence as the implications of this hit home. 

Slowly, everyone in the room turned their heads towards Angelus, grins plastered on their faces.

" Well, I believe this changes things considerably." Wesley purred, pacing in front of Angelus's cage with a smug look.

Angelus growled. " This is fair! I deserve this! " He clamped his hands over his mouth, horrified by his outburst.

Wesley's grin deepened. " So, what's the other way to restore your soul? "

Angelus kept his hands clamped firmly over his mouth, finding it increasingly difficult to keep them there.

" Well? " Cordelia pried, weirded out by the whole thing.

Angelus could not stop his hands from flying off his mouth anymore than he could stop his tongue, " The orb of Thessula. Willow restored my soul once, and she can do it again."

_Damn! _He thought, angry, frustrated, and humiliated. _I have to answer the question too? This is torture! This is Hell! _

" That's a wonderful idea! " Fred laughed.

Angelus scoffed and paced to the back of his cell. This was turning out to be worse of a nightmare than he could've imagined. 

********************************************************************************

**__**


	2. The Chase Begins!

It wasn't long before Wesley and the others were back up in the lobby of the Hyperion dialing Willow's number.

Willow answered on the first ring. " Hello? "

" Willow, we have a slight problem here…but I think you might enjoy it." Wesley said into the receiver, unable to hold back the laugh that escaped his throat.

" Really? What's going on? " Willow said on the other end of the line, wondering what kind of a 'slight problem' would cause Wesley to giggle.

She twisted the cord of the phone around her finger as she waited for his reply.

" It's Angel…he's Angelus…"

" Ohmigod! Did he hurt anyone? What's…? " 

" No, no it's not as bad as you think! " Wesley interrupted, his cheery mood seeming very out of place to the red-haired wiccan, " Yes, we do want him re-souled. That's why I called you in fact. Only…he's in a cage right now and it would seem a vengeance demon or some of the sort has rendered him unable to tell a lie…so come on over here! Bring Buffy if you like…"

" Angelus unable to lie! " Willow giggled, " Sounds like fun! I'll be over as soon as I can with that re-souling spell."

" Would you? That'd be most excellent."

They said their goodbyes and hung up, Wesley's grin matching those of Fred, Gunn, and just about everyone else's.

" Are you thinking what I'm thinking? " Fred laughed.

" Yeah," Gunn rubbed his hands together, " She won't be here for awhile…let's have a little fun! "

Meanwhile, back in his cage, Angelus was pacing fiercely. He was angry. More angry than he could ever remember being. 

This wasn't supposed to happen! Thanks to him and his big truth-telling mouth, Team Angel now knew just as much as he did about The Beast, and, worse yet, here he was stuck in a stupid impenetrable cell in a basement as their prisoner. 

He'd tried to taunt them back, to rattle their nerves, but it was just so hard when you had to stick so firmly to the truth.

Naturally, he'd heard every word of their conversation to Willow, and that had been the last straw. It was time to make a jailbreak.

Going to the very back of his prison where the dark shadows concealed the secrets of the stonework much better than the forward areas, Angelus reached into the special niche in the wall where he'd stored the crowbar Lilah had dropped from an earlier visit. That was just before the Brady Bunch had so rudely barged in with the whole mission: soul. A moment sooner and he was sure they would've taken his little toy away from him.

Thinking dark thoughts, he went to work as quickly as he could on the lock; praying he'd have a chance to escape before Willow could arrive like he himself had so stupidly suggested.

_I have to get out of here_! He thought as the lock broke and fell to the floor with a clatter, _I'm going to get out of here and break everyone of their necks!_

He'd have his revenge for being humiliated. Torturing was fun, but only when he was on the giving end--not the receiving. 

He could hear the group up there moving about. He was going to have to hurry.

Like a cold shadow of death he slid from his metal prison and hurried up the steps with the speed and liquid grace only a vampire possessed. Once he was up, he darted behind the first desk in sight. They never noticed.

Angelus's smile was absolutely murderous. These next few hours were going to be epic!

_So I can't lie. That's not going to stop me from ripping their bloody throats out!_

He had every chance right then to escape the building. Perhaps a wiser vampire would have. But Angelus was so enraged--and so caught up in his bloody thoughts of sweet revenge--that it never even occurred to him that maybe there was more to his curse than just honesty. 

" Uh-oh! " Gunn exclaimed once he checked the monitor of the video camera surveying Angelus, " We have problems with a capital 'P'. Angelus pulled a Houdini! "

That changed the mood of the room in a hurry.

" What?! " Cordy gasped, " You mean he's free?! "

Everyone flocked over to the little monitor so fast they almost tripped one another in the process.

" Yep. Either free or invisible." Lorne replied glumly.

It was true. The surveillance camera looked down on an empty cell with an absent Angelus. A crowbar lay near a shattered lock on the floor telling the story.

" Oh man," Gunn moaned, " Who let Fangboy get ahold of a crowbar? This is not good."

" You think?! " Cordy threw, " You know what he's going to want to do to the people who forced him to tell the truth? "

Connor shrugged, the familiar scowl returned to his face. " We didn't actually force him…"

" Hey! I've got a really dumb question," Lorne interjected, " Where's Fred? "

Once Willow had been contacted, Fred had gone off down the halls of the hotel to answer nature's call. She intended to be right back--after all, it did seem a bit silly to tell everyone every time she had to use the bathroom regardless of apocalypses--and now she was on her way back to the main room.

She had barely left the bathroom when a hand reached out of a corner and snatched her by the throat.

" Eh!" Fred gasped in shock and surprise. Her eyes went wide with fear when she saw who the hand belonged to--Angelus. A very unhappy, very angry Angelus.

He was in full vamp face now, his fangs gleaming in anticipation of the kill.

A shrill scream escaped Fred's throat. How long had it been since Angelus had had human blood? She had a very sinking feeling it had been too long. He was going to drain her dry or snap her neck before her friends ever reached her.

She struggled in his grasp, but to no avail. The vampire was simply too strong.

" Hi Fred! " Angelus greeted, holding on tightly to his prey and clamping a cold hand over her mouth. 

Here came the good part, the part he'd been waiting for!

Angelus lowered his head to bite into Fred's warm, blood-filled neck, then stopped.

His fangs were frozen an inch or so over her throat, and no matter how hard he tried to sink them in, he just couldn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to--every fiber of his being ached for it--he just physically couldn't. Some invisible barrier was holding him back.

Fred flinched. " What are you doing? " 

Angelus was frustrated. " I'm trying to bite you…you girl! " His honesty curse kept him from calling Fred one of the many names he had in mind for her--none of which were true.

He tried harder--not that it did any good. It was as if someone else were controlling his head at that point.

Annoyed, he tried throttling her. 

Fred couldn't believe it. She'd had necklaces that fitted around her throat tighter than Angelus's hands! The thing of it was--she could actually see his hands vibrating. She had no doubt in her mind that he _wanted _to hurt her, but he just didn't seem to be able to do it. His grip on her was powerful but gentle, and in no way painful.

Being a bright girl, Fred was quickly able to deduce--correctly--that Angelus was not only under a truth spell, but a non-violence spell on top of it! 

This brightened her mood. " You can't hurt me, can you? " She asked, knowing Angelus's reply would have to be the truth.

" No, I don't seem to be able to, do I? " Angelus's voice cracked, a wild hiss of anger and frustration.

Fred actually began giggling. " What are you trying to do, choke me or coddle me? "

Just then the sounds of footsteps reverberated down the hall and seconds later Cordy and Wesley came into view, each brandishing a crossbow.

With a vicious snarl, Angelus released Fred--rather gently--and turned tail to run off down the hall. 

" This is awful…for me! " He raged, turning a corner and disappearing from sight.

At the moment though, Wesley was more concerned about Fred. " Fred are you…? "

He stopped at the sound of Fred's wild laughter. " I'm fine Wes, just fine." She gestured the way Angelus had gone, " No need to fear the big bad vampire--he can't hurt anyone."

Wesley blinked. " Are you sure? " 

" Pretty sure." She grinned, " Oh, he tried to hurt me, I'll give it an A for effort, but he himself admitted he just couldn't do it. That curse on him? I think there's an anti-violence hex working too."

Cordelia slapped a hand to her face, frustrated. " Well, that's nice to know, we've still gotta capture him."

However, that was not entirely the real reason she was upset.

__

Not only can I not tell a lie, but I can't hurt anyone either? Damn, someone really had it in for me big . Must escape this nightmare.

Angelus's brain was working overtime as he ran through the halls.

He had finally decided to call it quits and just get the hell out of there. After all, if he couldn't hurt anyone, how could he hope to avoid being captured--let alone strike fear into their hearts?

And it was just not fun to taunt people with the truth and cuddle-choke them on top of it.

Not scoring him points in the Big Bad book.

Whilst racing down the hall and through some of the doors, he tried to form a mental map inside his head.

Uttering a savage growl of disappointment, he spun around on his heel when he realized he was going in the complete wrong direction.

It was at that moment that Lindsey appeared from behind a door connecting to this particular corridor. He was holding a portfolio and some very important looking papers in one hand.

The crooked ex-Wolfram and Hart lawyer stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Angelus.

His business here had not been strictly legal, and indeed he was very much up to date with the whole Angel-converting-back-to-Angelus deal. However, his superiors had assured him that Angelus was effectively out of action, and the reward they had offered for certain information had simply been too tempting. After all, these people always knew what they were doing.

Or did they?

Lindsey was starting to doubt it. Oh yes, he was starting to doubt it very much.

Worse, he knew just how bad Angelus could be. What had all those files said about him? That he was the scourge of Europe? And Angel had been no angel himself--and least not where Lindsey was concerned.

And Angelus did indeed look bloodthirsty coming at him right now.

Lindsey held up his one good hand--the one not preoccupied with papers. " Angelus! Wait! I…"

" Get out of my way! " Angelus snarled, " I'm in a very bad mood right now! " But he rushed forward so quickly that the stricken lawyer did not have time to move. 

Wham!

Angelus hit an invisible barrier and flew backwards full-throttle to the floor, leaving Lindsey staring in amazement.

" What's going on? " He really didn't expect a straight answer; what with all the mind games Angelus was famous for playing.

Angelus sprang to his feet, his expression positively feral. " The main gist of it is that I'm under a spell where I can't lie or hurt anyone. And I hate telling the truth! I hate _you_ too! "

For a moment, Lindsey was silent.

Then he totally lost it. This was too good! And it surely must be true--he'd seen the anti-violence barrier in action.

" You…can't lie or hurt anyone? Including me? " Lindsey was laughing so hard he could barely get the words out. Forgetting all about the papers he was holding--his very reason for coming to L.A., in fact--he dropped them to the floor.

" Yes! Including you, you crooked lawyer. Though I would very much love to tear your guts out and leave you to bleed to death right here right now."

Lindsey smiled, a cruel smirk transforming his face. " Crooked lawyer! You hurt my feelings."

Angelus was enraged. " Get out of my way! "

Lindsey shook his head. " What are you going to do if I don't? "

" What am I going to do? _What am I going to do? _" Angelus roared, balling his fists in anger, " I'm going to stand here and whine about it because you're blocking the only path out of here! I can't hurt you, and I just want to leave! "

__

Lindsey was loving this. " I see. But I'm afraid you're going to have to hurt me to move me."

" Maybe we can make a deal," Angelus tried, desperate, " You help me out here by moving out of my way, and when I lose the curse that's preventing me from harming or lying, I will still probably rip your guts out first chance I get. Wait! That's n….that is _exactly_ what I meant! You can't trust me without this curse, I'm normally a manipulative cold-hearted killer who will do just about anything for my own amusement."

Angelus could've slapped himself. " Umm…maybe I could try and bribe you? "

Lindsey was too busy laughing to reply.

Angelus was annoyed. " Look, I may be in a bad predicament right now, but how do you suppose Angel Investigations is going to feel when they find you in here? "

Lindsey's laughter died in his throat.

_That's right, there is still the rest of them to contend with… _He suddenly didn't feel quite so perky.

Angelus smiled faintly. " I put them down before I had this little spell going on, but the truth of it is that Team Angel are very able fighters. You don't want to mess with them."

_Well **two** can play at that game. _" Oh yeah? " Lindsey scoffed, " Do _you_ want to mess with them? "

Angel gave Lindsey a cold glare. " I _want_ to mess with them, sure. But I can't. Not while I have this stupid spell going on. That is why I'm trying to leave. And you are not making it easy for me."

" Good." Lindsey snorted, " Because frankly, I just can't stand you. And whatever I can do to inconvenience you, I'm going to do it."

Anger rekindled, Angelus walked right into Lindsey and attempted to push him aside without hurting him.

Lindsey jumped back a bit and pulled out a stake.

Angelus's feral eyes lit up with rage and he backed off, hissing. " Just like you to do something like this! "

Lindsey grinned. " Let's see how well you know me…say, would I stake a defenseless vampire who's been an all-around pain in the butt to me for the past couple years? "

" Yes. I believe you would." Angelus turned and started running from Lindsey. 

It was true that he could grab Lindsey's hand and probably wrestle the stake from him without hurting him, but what good would that do? Once he had the stake, it wasn't like he could do anything with it and it would just be a waste of time even if he prevented Lindsey from getting it back.

He had to lose this annoyance and find his way out of the hotel.

Lindsey gave chase, loving every moment of it. " And while we're at it, why was 'COPS SUCK' written on the back of my truck that one night? "

Angelus never broke stride, but he heard the question so he had to answer. " That was Angel's idea! Honestly! "

Buffy, Willow, and Spike pulled up in front of the Hyperion. They were fighting vampires the second they stepped out of the door.

Naturally, it was a short battle.

Buffy paused a moment, taking time to look around. 

She couldn't stop from staring.

Fire, murder, chaos, and vampires and demons _everywhere! _

" Gee, Sunnydale's on a hell mouth, but this place looks like it's already been to Hell and back." The slayer commented.

Spike shook his head. " You haven't been to L.A. often, have you? Though I have to admit this is a little more hellish than I remember it."

Willow sighed. " Perpetual night--dang, they're in big. We'd better get to Angelus."

At this, Spike snickered, a devious grin upon his face. " Yeah, let's see how truthful the Poofster is! "

Buffy grinned in spite of herself. " Sounds like fun."

They entered the Hyperion.

" Hello? You ordered a witch? " Willow called.

There was no reply. A few tense seconds slipped by.

" Anyone home? " Buffy tried.

Silence.

" Well, ain't that all just something? " Spike groused, " Invite'n us over and no welcoming committee."

Willow frowned. " I hope I don't have to do a locator spell to find them ." She said, only half-joking.

That's when they heard a door open from somewhere upstairs, and Connor flew down the stairway, followed by Wesley, Cordy, Lorne, Fred, and Gunn.

" Terribly sorry to keep you waiting," Wesley explained, " but Angelus escaped . Oh. Hi, Buffy. Willow. Everyone." He gave a curt wave.

On the whole, the group did not seem all that worried about the situation--Fred was even giggling.

" Um…did I miss something? " Buffy wondered, " You don't seem very worried."

" Actually, the only thing we have to worry about is Angelus escaping the hotel." Fred said, " Being that he can't lie or hurt anyone."

Spike's eyes lit up with fiery glee. " He can't hurt anyone?! Cheers, the wanker's finally getting what's coming to him! Great to know there's still justice in the world. It doesn't get much better than this." He sounded positively ecstatic.

Buffy and Willow only laughed. 

" Gee, he can't lie _or_ hurt anyone? What a sissy!"

" I can do a spell to trap him in the hotel." Willow supplied, " It's not a hard one." She held up her bag of wiccan goodies in proud demonstration and headed for the main desk. " A good witch always comes prepared."

" Great, we'll all split up to look for him then." Wesley announced.

" Shouldn't be too hard since he can't hurt anyone." Gunn added with a grin.

" Those are the kinds of odds I like." Lorne agreed, " Speaking of odds, I wonder what kinds of odds the Big Bad's going to be at when we catch up to him? "

" Shall we find out? " Buffy laughed, heading off in the direction of the nearest door.

It was as if a gong had been bonged, and everyone raced off in different directions, only one thing on their minds: the finding and humiliating of Angelus.

Spike was perhaps the most eager. The way he saw it, an honest anti-violence Angelus was fair game, and it was just all too perfect of an opportunity to waste.

_I may have had a chip, but at least I didn't have to tell the truth like a good little vampire_, he thought as he raced off and through a door in he main lobby, _I'm going to find that bloody poofster and rub it all in his face! Have a little fun with him before he gets all soul-like again._

It was no secret that Spike disliked both Angel _and_ Angelus. And if he could have a little fun, by golly, he was going to do it!

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**__**

This fic has ended up being a bit longer than I expected…but it's been great fun! I had to find a way to write everyone in----couldn't have them all just appearing, y'know. 

I will wrap it all up in the next chapter. The gang will, of course, find and trap Angelus. He will be forced to answer some very personal questions…buckle up, it's going to be the funniest chapter yet! 

To all who review, you get my humble thanks and a big hug! You people are awesome! ;-)


	3. Trust In Angelus

**Chapter 3**

Angelus ran through the rooms in a blur, looking desperately for an escape. There was no way he wanted to stick around after the Lindsey and Fred incidents.

Not being able to lie to or maim anyone…this had to be someone's twisted idea of a cruel joke! Well, either a cruel joke or justice. In any case, he had absolutely no intention of letting anyone else catch up and humiliate him.

A window. Straight ahead. Angelus's face lit up with a grin. Freedom!

__

And once I'm out of this hell hotel, I'm going to get as far away from this inferno city as I can…He needed to find a way to remove the hex. That was just all there was to it. And he did happen to know a few certain magic-dealers and shamans who might be able to help…all he had to do was word it right. 

And hope they didn't ask too many questions. 

_Can't hurt people, can't even talk right…this is almost as bad as being trapped inside of Angel!_

There, too, Angelus was powerless to act on his whims. Still conscious, still fully aware…if there was anything that could truly be said to frighten him, it was the thought of being imprisoned inside his alter ego again. It was a fate by far worse than death.

Without bothering to even slow his pace, Angelus sprang into the window…and ricocheted off an invisible barrier in a shower of glass. He flew back full force and put a generous dent in the wall of the little bedroom he was now occupying.

Angelus leapt to his feet cursing, shards of bloody glass dropping from his clothes. _I can't even leave the hotel? What kind of cruel and unusual punishment is this? _His eyes settled on his bloody hands, and he frowned. Blood on his hands was no fun when it was his own. The cuts stung only a little, just enough to annoy him.

But he was left with no more time to ponder, as at that very instant the door flew open and Spike pranced in, grinning like a schoolboy who had just been asked on a date by the prettiest girl in town.

" You! Go away! I don't want to see you right now! " Angelus growled, mustering up his most dangerous, evil tone. His eyebrows furrowed and he drew his lips back into a snarl, revealing his gleaming fangs.

" That right, mate? " Spike laughed. He positioned himself right in front of the doorway. " What are you trying to do? Scare me away because you can't tell a lie or get all rough-like with me? "

" Yes! " Angelus snorted indignantly, " I was hoping to bluff you…get out of the doorway."

Spike smirked. " Oh, and why should I? "

Angelus backed away slowly, retreating to the most distant corner of the room. He knew Spike well enough to know the other vampire wasn't going to cooperate. Still...he had to answer the question. Even if it killed him.

" Because I don't want to have to sit here and tell the truth about every l…l…" Angelus gave up trying to get the word out "…thing you ask! "

" Any other reason? " Spike purred. 

Angelus made a face. " I don't want the others to catch up with me. Willow's going to put my soul back."

Spike was unmoved. " And why should I care about that? "

" It would be nice. " Angelus tried lamely. He was running out of truthful reasons other than the fact he didn't want to be everyone's laughing stock and re-souled to boot. This was his worse nightmare. And there was no escape in sight.

Spike crossed his arms, totally enjoying. " Well, I'm not nice now, am I? "

Angelus snarled. " No! You certainly aren't! What can I say to make you go away? " 

Spike put a hand to his chin, as if mulling it over. " Hmm…nothing." He rubbed his hands together, " But enough with the small talk, Big Bad." He laughed when he said the words 'Big Bad', " Let's get down to the raw facts. What do you hate most of all? "

Angelus lost no time," This curse! It's fair! It's what I deserve! It's….horrible from my perspective. How would _you _like to be under this spell? "

Spike shook his head. " This isn't about me, Peaches. It's about you. Tell me, what do you think of the fact that I've killed two slayers so far while you bagged a big fat zero? "

" Hey! I was playing it safe! " Angelus's eyes flashed with fury, " I like to tell myself you just got lucky. The truth is, I don't even know for sure what went on. I wasn't there. I wish I had been, though." Angelus could not stop the next few words, " I'm jealous. I wish I could've killed Buffy. Or turned her."

" Really? " Spike's smile lit up the room, " And why didn't you kill Buffy, exactly? " 

Angelus's growl was positively feral. " That redheaded witch restored my soul before I could! And Buffy was besting me anyway, towards the end. Angel took over. I told him to kill Buffy but Angel's no fun. He never listens to me. And he really does love her." 

Angelus clamped his hands over his mouth. _Ok, what is with more information slipping by? _The curse only caused him to answer the question truthfully, it didn't force him to say anything else even remotely relevant.

Spike's smirk evaporated. If he has been under a truth spell, he would've said--'_So _do I!' But instead, all he did was frown.

Angelus laughed. " Oh, did I touch a nerve? "

" Not as in the same way I'm going to…" Spike's sentence was cut off when Lindsey burst through the door, stake in hand.

Spike tore it away from him in a hurry. " Hello, who are you? "

It only took Lindsey a second to figure out what Spike was. " I…I'm just an old friend of Angelus's. Look, instead of bothering with the formalities, why don't we just have fun with him? "

" Sounds good to me." The new voice belonged to Buffy. She was followed in by Cordelia, Connor, and Willow.

" No! It doesn't sound good to me! " Angelus whined, causing everyone to snicker. 

" So, it's true then." Buffy grinned, " The big bad Angelus tamed by a spell."

" I hate this spell." Angelus muttered darkly. By now, his face had returned to normal, and he had given up all hope of trying to scare them away or escape. All he could do was brace himself. He knew what was coming.

" You would." Willow giggled.

Buffy glanced around the room and smiled. " What say we have a little fun with him before Willow does the soul thing? "

" Yes! " They all agreed.

" No!" Angelus pleaded, " You wouldn't be this brave without this curse! " His statement was duly ignored.

" I'll go first." Buffy purred, sitting down on the little bed and looking straight at him, " Tell me…does Angel love me? "

Angelus bit his tongue, trying to deny her the inevitable answer. 

He could not. Right on cue, his mouth flew open and the words spilled out, " Of course Angel loves you! That's why I want to kill you! " He turned his hateful glare to Cordy, " Angel loves you, too, so I want to kill you too! " He pointed to Lindsey, " And you…you just make me mad. I don't like you. But I don't blame you for hating Angel, the wimp."

Lindsey only grinned; leaning back into the wall right next to Spike. " I do my best."

Angelus couldn't resist. " I enjoyed cutting off your hand, by the way."

Lindsey gave him a poisonous look. " Hey!"

" You just love asking me personal questions, don't you! " Angelus snapped, addressing the whole group, " Why don't you all go out and kill demons…you do a very b…good job. Leave me alone."

" But that's no fun." Buffy scolded.

Then Angelus thought of something mean to say that actually happened to be true. Never taking his eyes off of Buffy, he said, " So, Buff. Why couldn't you save Miss Calendar? I mean, you're always saving the day…why couldn't you save her? "

Buffy made a face. _He's playing rough, fine. Two can play at this game_… " Why couldn't you kill me? " She threw back, knowing that, unlike her, he would have to reply.

It was Angelus's turn to make a face. " Like I was telling that…British…vampire over there…" he jabbed a finger at Spike, " I got my soul back too soon! That, plus the fact that you were doing a very good job of holding your own. You really surprised me when you flipped that sword up into my chin. Of course, I shouldn't have been holding it that way…" Angelus shut up.

" Hey, I've got one." Connor injected, " My mother…did she really hate me like you said? Did she kill herself because of me? "

Angelus slapped a hand to his face. " Much as it sickens me, no--Darla didn't really hate you--she loved you. She told Angel you were the one good thing they ever did together. She staked herself in order to save you, not because she was disgusted with you. Though _I'm_ disgusted with you."

" You're breaking my heart." Connor fibbed.

" Why did you kill my fish? " Willow demanded, her voice soft and innocent.

Angelus grinned. " That was fun. I knew it'd get to you."

Cordelia turned and headed out of the room. " I guess I'd better find everyone else." She said over her shoulder.

Hardly anyone noticed her departure anyway. 

Angelus was much more interesting.

Spike laughed. " Playing with Willow now, are we? Did you know she turned evil, flayed a guy, and almost destroyed world recently? "

Angelus's eyes widened. " No, I…Willow _flayed _a guy?! " He looked at Willow in a new light, " I never would have thought Willow would be the type to…do something like that." He winked at her. " What do you know? Willow's got a dark side. Stay away from me. "

Willow looked embarrassed. " Yeah, well, actually I…hey! Let's not make this about me. _You're_ the one with the truth-telling."

Angelus frowned. " Unfortunately."

Willow grinned. " You afraid of me? "

" Definitely." Angelus muttered. He was about to say more, then stopped. He was already bored with this game. But without the power to harm them, well…what could he do?

And It didn't look like they'd be leaving until they had their fun. How could he get by them all to get away? 

The answer was simple: he couldn't. And with no escape…

Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne came spilling in just then; choking the already-congested small room. Now they were all practically shoulder-to-shoulder…talk about a tight squeeze.

" Hello, what is this? " Angelus growled, " Does _everyone _enjoy tormenting me? It's crowded in here! "

Nobody could argue with that. 

Spike was sandwiched between Willow and Lindsey in one of the most uncomfortable positions known to man or beast. Wesley could barely breath. Willow was starting to think she was going to have to do a spell to make the room larger or something. Fred, Gunn, and Lorne had to push by and try to crowd on the bed next to Buffy.

Angelus pressed tightly into his corner like a wild animal put on display at the zoo. He couldn't remember a time he'd been more humiliated.

" So, can't hurt anyone, can you? Tell me, how do you feel about that? " Wesley giggled.

Angelus grimaced. " I HATE it! I hate it and you all know it! If I could hurt people, I would be fighting past you and trying to escape because there are too many of you! "

After a moment of snickering had passed, Fred asked, " Does Angel care about us? "

Angelus muttered darkly. " It depends on what you mean by 'us'. Lindsey and Spike, no. Everyone else, yes."

" Aw, how sweet." Willow purred.

Angelus slammed his head back against the wall. " I don't like doing this! Please, just do the spell and trap me inside of Angel again. This is one of the worst things that's ever happened to me. I'd rather be Angel! If there's any good left at all in any of you…and I know there is…don't do this anymore! " The others grinned, and Angelus sighed. " Of course, by saying that, it's a safe wager I just made you want to do it all the more. After all, you all figure I deserve it, and I do."

" Bingo." Buffy laughed.

" Truer words were never spoken." Wesley teased.

Angelus snarled at that. " You all just love this! As long as _you_ don't have to tell the truth…"

" They say the truth will set you free." Fred added helpfully.

" Or get you into loads of trouble." Angelus moaned, " Make you all a deal: you just quit asking me all these questions I don't want to answer and…"

" Now why would we want to do that? " Gunn pointed out.

Angelus wrinkled his nose. " You wouldn't, but…"

" Should we even be listening to you at all right now? " Buffy probed.

" No." Angelus confessed, " I'll I'm going to do is whine and carry on and try to get you to leave me alone."

" Can you actually make us a fair deal? " Lorne wondered.

Once again, Angelus shook his head. " Of course I can't make you a fair deal! Look at the position I'm in…I can't do much of anything right now!"

Gunn smiled. " We rest our case."

The group asked Angelus a whole host of private and personal questions, to which he had to admit he was wrong about this or that or how someone else had gotten the best of him. But the session was short-lived, as everyone knew they really needed to get Angel back and stop the whole rain-of-fire and blot-out-the-sun deals as soon as possible.

So it was with a bit of regret…and much relief on Angelus's part…when Willow at last performed the spell that would restore Angel's soul.

Angelus's eyes lit up with a golden light as the last of the rite was complete.

Buffy smiled. " Angel? "

Angel shook his head a bit, trying to clear his mind. He looked at Buffy and smiled pleasantly. He opened his mouth to speak. " I'm not Angel. I'm still Angelus." 

Buffy's eyes widened and she drew back quickly, looking to Willow.

The red-headed witch shrugged. " Everything was working perfectly, I…I don't know what could've went wrong…"

Angel looked horrified by his onslaught of words.

" Buffy, I…the spell w…." He could barely get the 'w' out, " the spell didn't work." Pleadingly, he locked eyes with her. Then, in the softest, most tender tone, he said, " I hate you." It did not sound at all like he hated her.

Everyone just stared, on the brink of laughter.

At that instant, Fred knew what had happened. " Willow's spell! " She piped suddenly, smiling, " It worked perfectly, but…Angelus's curse…where he couldn't tell a lie? Maybe Willow's magic somehow reversed it. Now Angel can't tell the truth!"

Wesley shook his head, " I hate to think what that would mean about the no-hurting charm…"

Angel looked slapped a hand to his face. " I can't hurt anyone! People, it's alright to get close to me! " Though Angel could not tell the truth about anything, he could still shake his head. He was shaking it as he spoke.

Willow's expression was priceless. " Um…okay." She said, trying her hardest not to laugh, " Hang in there, Angel. I'll see what I can do."

" Don't do that." Angel blurted, " I like this, and it's not a curse. I lie all the time! In fact, I have never spoken the truth about anything. I want to kill everyone."

All at once, everyone slapped a hand to their face.

" Sure you do." Fred laughed, " And my name's Harriet Tubman."

" It is! " Angel fibbed. He was feeling very depressed.

Watching from upstairs, Coredelia slapped a hand to her face and muttered, " Oh boy."

Would this day ever end?

********************************************************************************

**End**

  



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